Nimba Senatorial By-Election Lacks Momentum

There is very little leading up to the pending by-election for the Nimba County senatorial seat, with many voters expressing frustration with the political rhetoric from candidates.

Some citizens cited disappointment with the lack of tangible change following past elections as a reason for thei

r apathy.

“I am just tired with this whole election process because we are not seeing anything new after people spent the entire day on line to elect their leaders,” said Joseph Huge, a resident of Ganta.

“People are getting reluctant because our leaders are not consistent when they say this today, the next day they say something different,” said one Solomon, a motorcyclist.

The level of excitement witnessed in previous elections, such as the 2021 Representative by-election in Ganta, does not seem to be present in this senatorial by-election. This is also the first senatorial by-election in Nimba since the cessation of hostilities in Liberia, but there have been two mid-term senatorial elections, 2014 and 2020. The latter saw current Vice President Jeremiah Koung emerging as the winner — a post he recently relinquished for the country’s second-most top seat.

Both special senatorial elections were held under high momentum, where most of the citizens were willing to vote, but ahead of the pending by-election, people appear to be reluctant about the entire process.

“In the 2021 Representative election in Ganta, the momentum was very high among the voters, and it was very competitive, but not this one,” Huge said. “We also saw similar momentum in the last two mid-term senatorial elections. But this one is so different.”

Voters highlight other factors, including the inconvenience of having to vote in locations far from where individuals originally registered.

James Mulbah, a musician, who is popularly known as ‘Jimmy Red’ noted that many people are getting reluctant because during the 2023 election, most of the voters registered far from where they lived. Therefore, the possibility of getting back to where they registered to vote could contribute to the low momentum and a potentially low voter turnout on election day.

“For example, if someone from Ganta registered in Buutuo or Tappita and now they do not have the means of getting back to those places they registered, they will certainly show low interest in this election,” he said.

“A person who was trucked to vote outside of Nimba, during the 2023 election will not have interest in this election,” he noted.

Concerns about candidates’ campaigning strategies and focus on certain areas of the county have also been raised.

Aaron Gbor, a Money exchanger on the main street of Ganta, looked at it differently, saying, “The low momentum comes from the four candidates in the race because their activities are not impressive to the voters.”

“Most of their activities are focused in the interior parts of the county,” he said.

Additionally, some residents criticized the National Election Commission for inadequate publicity and lack of voter education about the by-election.

“There is no awareness from NEC or any of the locally based civil society organizations about the election that we can talk about,” said one Hassan Selah,” a security guard at a local restaurant in Ganta. “Since the election was announced, posters or banners from NEC carrying messages of the by-election are yet to be seen.”

Jackson Guanue Jr, a resident, stated: “The zeal is weak, no voters’ education was done about this by-election and the momentum is very low compared to the other by-elections.”

Guanue also noted that people are just tired and also have little knowledge on by-election, especially the first-time voters,” he said.

Efforts have been made to increase awareness and educate voters through workshops and partnerships with local civil society organizations. Stakeholders have emphasized the importance of boosting voter enthusiasm to ensure adequate turnout on Election Day.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, the National Election Commission conducted a stakeholders workshop about the by-election.

The workshop covered some basic election guidelines and the legal aspects of the election, looking at the dos and don’ts and also the penalty for breaking any of those laws.

NEC Upper Nimba Assistant Magistrate, Akin Gondoun, said civic and Voter Education materials have been distributed to local based civil society organizations to carry on awareness about the April 23, 2024 by–election.

“We have hired locally based CSOs to carry out awareness on the April 23, 2024, By-Election across the county,” he said.

“If the momentum of this by-election remains low, it simply means the turnout will also be poor or low during the casting of ballots,” said David Wongbor, a dialect announcer at a local radio station in Ganta.

Four candidates are vying for the senatorial seat, with Rep. Samuel G. Kogar and Mr. Nyan Tuayen Jr. emerging as leading contenders. The others are former Senator Thomas Grupee of the Reforms National Congress, and Armstrong Gobac Selekpor of Liberia National Union.

While campaigning is underway, there is a noted emphasis on reaching voters in interior regions and districts with significant voting populations.